It’s not what you know, it’s who…

I’m going to tell you a secret. I shouldn’t really but the thing is…no matter how long I do this, I still get just a little nervous before I do a photo shoot. Just thinking about it now gives me butterflies. It’s the unknown! What are they going to be like in front of the camera? Will they freeze up? Will I be able to make them laugh, relax, be themselves…all in a rather short space of time? Will I be able to capture just how beautiful/special/handsome they really are? What’s the lighting like? Did I remember to put the memory card back in the camera? (Don’t worry, I always bring tons of spare stuff to a shoot!)

Phew, now imagine how I must have felt when I decided to ask a new Sheffield Celebrity whether he would be my subject for the ‘pic of the day’ in my 365 Project? I knew him before he was famous, but not very well. He works in the same office as me (I work part-time in the local Council) and it was another colleague who suggested I should grab him for my project.

So there I am feeling a little bit silly going up to Howard to ask whether he would mind me taking a few photos of him the following day. Now I feel the need to pause ever so briefly. For those of you who are figuratively scratching your heads wondering who this ‘Howard’ is that I speak of, he is one of the amazing contestants from this year’s Great British Bakeoff (GBBO). He has become quite a sensation, even though his GBBO journey came to a sudden end on 24th September. It’s probably because he is a genuinely lovely guy! (He also has a blog btw)

Anyway, what a gracious response I got from him! He was totally up for it (sigh of relief on my part). The next day, as 1pm drew ever closer I could feel the butterflies take flight in my stomach. Extra pressure! Will I do him justice? I better be quick so he can get back to work! Will I be able to pose him properly? We ended up nipping into the end meeting room at work as we didn’t have time to go outside. But it has massive windows on two full sides and the light was streaming in. Perfect for a celebrity photo shoot!

Well, what can I say? He is a natural in front of the camera. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised. It was the fastest photo shoot I’ve ever done. 10 minutes and I had what I needed. I made him laugh (woo hoo!) and he made my day! The first one below was the one I used for my 365 Project but below that are a few more carefully selected ones that I liked too.

Here’s my ‘arty’ pic, the one I had planned in my head before the shoot.

These two are quite similar on the one hand but to me the slightly different expressions speak volumes! On the left, a professional, someone who is comfortable and confident in front of the camera. On the right, I see a little more personality coming through. He is letting me see a little more of who he is.

And finally, this is totally Howard. I can’t remember what I said but this is a spontaneous laugh (at me!). This is what I aim for in every shoot. To make someone smile, laugh and be themselves.

I totally enjoyed this and was so stoked with the results! A huge big thank you to Howard for being my model. And if you want to follow my 365 Project more closely then check out my fb page. I post a photo on there everyday for a whole year.

And one last thing. I’ve realised that being that little bit nervous before every photo shoot is a really good thing. Why? Well, it keeps me on my toes, I’m never complacent and I work really hard to make sure it’s a success. So here’s to butterflies! 🙂